He Will Be Loved
by Chilly Academic IV
Summary: It's been a long time, hasn't it? A chance encounter with a familiar male in a strip joint sparks a romance. Why did he resort to this job? Can Cloud with Zax's aid nurse his bruised mentality back to health, or will love break up the three? [yaoi]
1. Chapter 1

**Title: He Will Be Loved**

**Genre: Romance**

**Rating: R**

A/N: This will be a rather long author's note. Sorry, guys! I just want you all to know the story behind this thing. It was intended to originally be a love triangle. But it twisted. Very badly. Party A was originally going to introduce Party B to their ex, Party C. Party B and C were going to get together, but you see. Party A loves Party B. When B and C get together, A gets upset. But. This fell through the roof about a minute into brainstorming. Also, originally, the title was "Stripper" but I changed it in case that could be deemed unsuitable for all audiences. –cough- Er. I think you're here for the story and not to listen to me ramble. Haha. So, here it goes. Oh. I don't own Advent Children or any characters contained within, though. Yeah.

Chapter 1 

"What the hell, Zax..."

It wasn't like he often frequented places like this. Colored lights flashed and loud techno-esque music flared in his senses as he sipped some strange blue-hued alcohol from a strangely shaped glass. His dark-haired companion was chuckling as he took a gulp of a similar drink, before turning his gaze back to the younger male he had dragged along on this little outing.

"Relax, Cloud. The fun's just now starting. Wait for the entertainment."

"... This place is a strip club, isn't it?"

"... Not technically?"

The blond resisted the urge to let his head meet the round table before him, merely hissing out a slight sigh of annoyance at his long-time companion's foolish behavior. Happy 21st, Cloud, I'm taking you to a strip club because I'm a fucking dumbass.

Suddenly the swirling light dimmed and turned to a catwalk-esque stage located at the front of the large drinking area, maybe one or two tables ahead of where Zax and Cloud were seated. As the multiple met on the end, the light grew white and the music changed pace slightly. The blond was trying to avoid looking at his little "gift" from his buddy, but curiosity as he heard obviously heavy boots hitting the stage caused him to look up. And he saw an all too familiar face.

"Oh shit..." muttered the blond, causing his companion to glance over, dark brow arched in curiousity.

"What is it?"

Cloud wasn't really listening. Had he not been hit with the realization he knew this person, he probably would have pummeled Zax by not upon realization he was not only at a strip club(despite Zax having said it wasn't, he was a damn liar), but a gay strip club, none the less .And he knew the entertainment. That made a bad situation worse.

Dark leathery clothing didn't really cover much, save for what had to be hidden, at least for now. Though a classically "cop" styled hat was pulled low over the eyes of the male, glistening silver hair hanging just shy of slender shoulders gave him away. An all-too-familiar facial structure peeked from beneath the bang of the hair that covered part of his left face. Full lips were upturned in a familiar smirkish grin as the tall, thigh-high platforms reached the end of the catwalk-eqsue stage, where a large metal pole led from floor to ceiling.

The blond found himself almost entranced by this grotesque curiosity. Sky hued hair watched every move as the long, slender fingers wrapped around the metal pole, followed shortly by one leg as the familiar male arched his body back, the leathery hat falling from the top of his head, letting silver hair free. He felt a sudden rush as the male's head turned to direct a gaze at the crowd and he saw those mako hued catlike eyes meet his for a split second. That second was as though he was drowning in those eyes again. That second he heard and saw nothing as he was entranced by those eyes. And in just one second, it was gone, leaving him empty.

'_No more...'_ came the voice in his head as he slowly rose form the table. _'I have to get out of here...'_

Something stopped him, though, and it took him a moment to realize that it was something physical—his good friend's hand on his arm, though he only grasped a few of the words that came out of his friend's mouth.

"...gonna leave already, are you?"

"...Yeah. I... don't feel too well all of a sudden," stated the blond, wriggling his slender arm free of Zax's rather strong grip. Once free, he immediately made his way towards the nearby door, a slender hand resting against his forehead. The free hand fell on the doorknob, though he paused and glanced back at the "entertainment," now stripped of a short leather top lying on the catwalk beneath him, strong legs wrapped tightly to the pole, hips visible grinding against the cool metal. And during this erotic dance, his gaze shifted over the crowd and again met the sky gems that were the blonde's eyes.

And this caused his hand to freeze on the doorknob, that familiar dazed feeling coming over him and those catlike mako eyes communicated what he was unable to say.

'_Leaving so soon, Cloud?'_

He had to struggle to break eye contact with those entrancing eyes. Once he managed to, though, he quickly turned the knob and stepped out of the darkened club, into the faint light cast off by streetlights nearby. Sighing out heavily, a hand still on his forehead. It was just now he noticed that faint sensation in his lower stomach and groin region—that feeling of slight arousal. Watching the familiar male's sexual dance had gotten his body excited—a result he had, honestly, been expecting—but not so quickly, maybe if he had watched the entire show (which a part of his mind and body was making him wish he had done so).

Quickly, he shook his head to delete such thoughts form his mind. He tried to think of other things, yet he kept remembering those eyes... that body... long legs wrapped around the pole as his hips rocked back and forth...

Still trying to get his mind off the feeling of arousal that jolted through his body every time that he thought about that...encounter, he walked slowly towards the motorcycle parked nearby—his, almost identical to the more red-hued bike that was parked next to his own blue-black bike. In an almost mechanical way—for he was barely doing it as he did it—he withdrew the set of keys stashed deep within his front right pocket. It then dawned on him he had those keys in his hand. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind, and be able to focus on what he was doing, he slipped on to the rather large motorcycle, slipping the key into the ignition, and turning it on, idling the bike causing the dangling keys to jingle. One hand resting on the bike, the other reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, the only protection he had on the motorcycle. Both hands moving back to his bike, a mental image—accompanies by a voice—entered his mind, a flash before his eyes.

'_Leaving so soon, Nii-san? Don't want to confront me?'_ the familiar voice accompanied by the image of the male he had recently reencountered for the first time in many years.

"What the hell was in that drink...?" he murmured to himself as he pulled his bike out of the narrow parking space, (not pausing to consider that he may be too "drunk" to drive) and sped down the dimly lit street, leaving his companion's bike alone at the end of the parking lot.

A/N: Well, there it is. It's kind of short, but I think it's a nice introduction. Know who the entertainment was? Haha, I bet you do. See you in Ch. 2.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: He Will Be Loved 

**Genre: Romance**

**Rating: R**

**Chapter 2**

A/N: So, I'm getting a start on Chapter 2. Actually, most of this story is written during school, so it's usually finished by the time I start typing it. Haha. Yeah. I write this stuff at school.Sad, huh? Yeah. Seriously. So, here it is, chapter two!

The slightly bent) metal of the silver key slid perfectly into the lock on the apartment's door. With a click it opened and the door swung inward, revealing the half-messy, half-clean interior of the first level of their apartment. He noticed a note left on the counter and cocked a brow—had his roommate somehow beat him home?

Shrugging, a bare hand lowered to lift the note from the countertop, the other hand shifting his dark glasses to his forehead. Then, he finally read the note—in a familiar, yet unfamiliar, handwriting.

KADAJ

Call Me! 627-9413

(preferably before 6 on the weekends!!)

A shaking hand allowed the torn-off piece of paper to flutter to the carpet-linoleum tile mesh before him (as he stood where kitchen transitioned into living room). There... there was no way he...

Deciding it best to disregard the note for now, he then paid enough attention to pull the door closed behind him, hand still somewhat jittery as he flicked the internal lock to ensure the door was truly closed. Then, barely bothering to note he had trod on one of Zax's favorite (and vintage) Malice Mizer tees, he made his way to the couch , kicked off his boots (with some difficulty as the zipper decided to jam up on him) and plopped down on the couch, first having to root through a pile of supposedly "clean" denim jeans to find the object of his current pursuit—the remote control for the widescreen placed on a rickety table across from the couch.

It was only after flipping through the channels that he thought to check he digital clock that sat next to him on the (cracked) glass coffee table. The digits of the clock read 2:15 with the letters a.m. next to them. It was at that point that a sudden drowsiness hit him, almost causing him to fall asleep right there. He managed, however, to lift the television remote and hit the power button before he suddenly lost consciousness, head coming to rest on the pillow, teetering dangerously on the arm of the couch.

---

"... up! Cloud, wake up!"

"... Huh? What?"

Sky blue eyes peeled open to peer up into similarly hued eyes of the other male, vision at first blurred by sleep. As he was still groggy from sleep, it took him a short time before he realized exactly who it was that spoke to him.

"Zax? When did you get home?"

"... Around 3 a.m.," he stated, folding his arms across his chest in a disapproving manner, almost like a parent scolding a child who had been naughty. "And lo and behold, what do I find? You passed out on the could—could you at least have the decency to drag you half-dead carcass into the bedroom?"

"... I dozed off after watching TV," was the only explanation Cloud could manage to mutter as he rubbed his still blurry eyes. He then cast a sleepy, sidelong glance at the clock positioned on the coffee table, eyes suddenly widening as the red numbers cut through a sleepy daze.

1:34 p.m.

His panicked eyes shifted back to Zax who was still giving him the "I'm no mad, I'm just disappointed" look. He was still too dazed from his thirteen-or-so hour rest to note the thoroughly amused smirk that rested on the other male's lips.

"It's Sunday, Cloud. You don't have to work today," he stated, hands falling idle to his sides before he frowned a little. "But I, the dumbass, signed up for overtime today. Damn, I wasn't expecting this much of a hangover. That drink was strong... maybe I shouldn't have had two."

The reminder of the occurrence of the night prior caused him to groan and let his face reunite with the pillow—before with a sudden and rather painful realization, he noticed the soft, cushioning pillow had teetered off into the floor, leaving only a scarcely padded and uncomfortable cough arm to contact his forehead rather roughly.

"And about last night..." Zax mused aloud, a single finger pressed to his lips as he continued down a topic Cloud really did not care to discuss this morn—afternoon, "...how'd you get that cutie's number? I saw that note on the floor in the kitchen. You sure left that place in a hurry last night. Did he come to the apartment? You sure seemed to known him or something. Did you go there before? Hmm? You sly little devil. You—"

An idle hand (not the one currently resting on the lovely red mark on his forehead) groped around the floor slightly and came across the television remote, one eye cracking open to look at the remote, then to Zax.

"Mute, Damnit," he muttered into the arm of the couch, not bothering to lift his head up as he spoke. He grinned slightly as he heard Zax huff in annoyance.

"Fine, don't talk about it to your best friend!" the dark-haired male exclaimed, pouting and stomping his foot, not unlike a spoiled child who was not getting his way. Getting no reply to his childish behavior, he opted to go get ready for work.

Once he heard the door to the first bedroom—Zax's—close, he wearily lifted his head and squinted the sky gems against the blaring white of the overhead light. It hurt. Well, more than it should, actually. He assumed it was just something in the drink. After blinking against the light got a bit longer, he stood slowly (still leaning on the couch slightly for support,) wavering for a moment as he struggled to get his feet behave under him.

"Damn..." he muttered, barely managing to stay standing, staring blankly at the black television screen before him. "That... was on fucked up... drink," he said, before his track of thought suddenly shifted as he heard his stomach growl quite loudly—so loud he heard a rather obvious "Hah!" from the room nearby. Irked by this, he picked up one of his unzipped boot and chucked it at the closed door with an "IN SOVIET RUSSIA, CHOCOBO RIDE YOU!" sticker stuck on the door under a Dir en Grey poster and other miscellaneous decorations. It collided with a loud "thump!" against Asagi of D's head.

_'That ought to shut him up,'_ thought the bond as he slowly made his way to the kitchen, finally steadier on his feet .He stopped, though, one socked foot on the carpet and one on the linoleum tile. The cute little note from last night's entertainment was stuck on the refrigerator with an annoying smiley face magnet.

A sigh hissed from between his teeth as he did his best to open the fridge without taking notice of the message. And he let out a more open, disheartened sigh. The refrigerator was running low, filled mostly with energy drinks, beer, and the occasionally soda, and half-empty cartons of 2 milk and Florida Orange Juice. Propping the door open with his foot, he leaned over to the cabinets and dug around mostly empty food boxes before finding a box of colorful Fruit Loops. Opened, and partially empty, but edible. Withdrawing the box from the abyss of empty boxes, he examined it with a sigh.

"Zax!" he yelled, hoping ht was loud enough to be heard in his room. "Didn't I tell you to stop buying kiddy cereal?! You're an adult for crying out loud!"

"So? They taste good! And if it tastes good, eat it." The simple reply made Cloud sigh quietly, withdrawing the milk from the refrigerator, placing it and the cereal box on the nearby kitchen counter.

Not bothering to check their cabinet, because he knew his roommate was on dish duty this week and never took the effort to put them away, he pulled open the dishwasher and withdrew a chipped blue bowl from the internal rack. It, too, was placed on the countertop between the box and carton. He went to pour the cereal, but paused, first inspecting the bowl to make sure nothing was currently living in it. This was a response fine-tuned to him after he found a cockroach doing the backstroke in a bowl of tomato soup. That incident also resulted in weekly chore rotations, as opposed to monthly. After the bowl passed his inspection, he tipped the box so the multiple colored rings could fill the bowl to his desire. Satisfied, he closed the box and set it aside, assuming Zax would very much enjoy it if part of breakfast remained set for him, before grabbing the milk and immediately checking the expiration date. With a thought of relief, he saw it would not expire for a good week of so. He opened it and—rather sparingly, having a rather severe dislike of soggy cereal—poured the milk into the bowl of multicolored, fruity rings.

Satisfied with his preparation of breakfast, he opened the refrigerator and replaced the milk into one of the many empty spots on the inner racks. At almost the exact moment he heard the soft sound of him closing the refrigerator, he heard a creak and a click as Zax's door swung open—outwards. He didn't bother to make the extra effort of looking towards the door, but instead pulled open the dishwasher, kneeling before it to examine the inner racks. One hand reached into the handy appliance to retrieve a (hopefully) clean spoon. He did happen to glance up, though, to see Zax looming down at him from the opposite side of the counter—the living room side. A blonde eyebrow raised in curiosity, though little else was done in the way of a response.

"Hey, Cloud," the dark haired male's voice only rose in speech when he saw the blond resuming his quest fir the spoon. Heaving an internal sigh—mostly because he was practically starving and wanted his food—as he did so, the blonde lifted his gaze from the dishes inside the dishwasher to the dark haired male standing before him

"...You gonna call him?"

A slight thunk noise was followed shortly by the clatter of dishes as one of the internal racks was jostled by the blonde's forehead against the metal. He then lifted his head, sky gems rather narrowed in an irked glower as he looked up at the male nearby. _'Sometimes,'_ he thought, not without bitterness, _'it's all I can do not to wring his scrawny neck...'_

"Why the hell would I?" said the blonde, casting a sidelong glance at the note on the refrigerator, as though he was sizing up the possibilities. He realized that had not been the best move when he looked back to Zax and saw the smirkish grin on his lips, causing an immediate mental, _'Well, shit...'_

"Because he's quite the looker. And—" the smirk became a little more devilish, almost, and Cloud could only guess what kind of thoughts were passing through his long-time companion's rather perverse mind, "probably on the 'easy' side, if you catch my drift—"

There was no way in hell Cloud would let him finish that sentence. "That..." said the blond, before pondering how to phrase it for a moment, "... is just flat out disgusting. Who in their right minds would have sex with a stripper?!"

As those words came out of his mouth, he was immediately overcome with a feeling of hypocrisy. Last night, he remembered, his body was very ready to have sex with that little figure twisted so elegantly around that pole...

"I'd hit that," piped up Zax, jerking Cloud away from his thoughts rather roughly. This reply, obviously, was neither what Cloud wanted to hear, nor one he honestly cared for.

"Notice, Zax, I said in their right mind," he stated, rolling his eyes while resuming his spoony search. "this rules you as well as the majority of the population out," was the final statement he made before abruptly changing the subject with an exclamation of "Ah-ha!" as he withdrew a spoon form the recesses of the dish washer, deeming it clean enough and placing it in the mixture of fruit flavored cereal and milk.

As soon as metal hit cereal, the bowl was literally jerked from beneath the blonde haired male's nose, leaving a bewildered expression on the male's face.

"Awe, Cloud! You made me breakfast? Hw sweet! I was going to skip breakfast, but since you—"

Cloud, rather impatiently, interrupted his roommate's comment with an annoyed statement, "Just shut up."

The blond observed his response—a shrug—with indifference as he grabbed his keys off the counter and pulled on a pair of old tennis shoes, most likely Zax's but he didn't care, sitting by the door. He proceeded to open said door before he paused, hearing his roommate say something around a mouthful of cereal.

"Where you goin'?"

"I... am going to Waffle House," he stated, opening the door and quickly slamming it shut behind him without awaiting a reply.

"About time..."

His head snapped up as he heard the familiar voice, coming form nearby. Looking towards where his bike was parked, a familiar face grinned at him from behind a jagged silver bang. Within his chest, he felt his heart pound against his ribcage a she immediately recognized that face.

"Kadaj?!"

A/N: Yay. Chapter two. And it took me less than a week! –cheers- Ho yeah. I'm good like that. Well, the identity of the stripper is revealed! And you all probably knew already. Um. Anyway. R and R and stay tuned for updates!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: He Will Be Loved 

**Genre: Romance**

**Rating: R**

**Chapter 3**

A/N: This has been done for a week. I'm just very, very lazy. And I've been busy. So yeah. Without further procrastination, here she goes.

"The one and only,," was the rather coy reply that the blonde received, still accompanied by that sly grin. That same grin that sent and icy, almost freezing, chill dancing up the spikey haired male's spine.

"What the hell are you doing here?" replied Cloud, raising his voice slightly. His morning has transitioned from bad to worse to oh-fuck-just-smite-me-now-God. And he has a suspicious nagging premonition it would only continue to get progressively worse from here. _'It's one of those days,'_ thought the blonde, heaving an internal sigh, _'where I should have stayed in bed.'_

"Why, Nii-san," cooed the slender male, taking a few long strides towards where the blonde stood, "it's a free country, you know. I thought you'd be happy I decided to pay you a visit on a, shall we say, non professional standpoint," the one called Kadaj added with another sly glance, making only a subtle reference to his occupation as well as their encounter from the night prior.

The blonde made the wise decision that it was best to completely overlook the reference as well as the fact the other male was there at all. A slender hand reached into his front left pocket where his keys were currently residing, withdrawing them as he approached his dark motorcycle, brushing right past the silver haired male. The blonde was harboring the (indubitably false) hope that if he ignored his unexpected visitor for long enough that he might just go away.

"Cloud..."

As soon as the single word, his name, hit his ears, the blonde had to fight the urge to shiver. The way he had said it—so pathetically delicate and almost needy... it was the same way he had said it at the end of their last encounter when they weren't expecting one another any time soon—if at all. The childish little voice that made him want to take the younger male into his arms and just hold him. The voice that made him stop dead in his tracks—even now.

"Kadaj. What is it?" His statement was not worded in an exactly caring way, but that was him—subtly caring and worried behind a mask of overall indifference. As his gaze was directed at the silver haired male, he saw as the almost sad expression morphed into a playful grin. He almost smacked his forehead at his own foolishness; he had been played the fool again.

"What," the younger male placed small hands firmly on slender hips clad in tight leather, "you're not going to pay attention to me after we finally find each other after... what is it, now? Three years?"

"I wasn't looking," he stated flatly, folding his arms across his chest. He hadn't been expecting to reencounter the younger male again, especially in such an awkward way. His life was finally becoming more regulated out and almost, dare he think it, normal, and then this remnant of a life he had tried to leave reappeared, upsetting the gradual monotony of his life. Indeed, he had by no means been looking for the other male.

A shadow of a frown flickered across Kadaj's face, Cloud observed, as soon as the statement left the blonde's lips. Mako eyes for a moment tremored, making the older male feel a slight pang of guilt until he saw the younger figure remuster his demeanor of nonchalance.

"Well," began the silver-haired youth, seemingly unphased by the rather negative retort he had received, "it would seem some grater power is trying to tell us something, hm?" The statement was accompanied with that damnable sly, almost flirtatious grin. It was, the blonde noted mentally and quite happily, beginning to loose its effect of giving him rather obvious chills and shivers.

Cloud's first reply was to roll his eyes. He did not and had not for a long time believed in such things as fate or gods or—as Kadaj put it—'greater powers'. A few long strides placed him closer to his bike and consequently, closer to the younger silver-haired male. He then paused again, turning his head slightly to better face the silver-haired male as he made his vocal reply. "... You should know I don't believe in shit bullshit like that."

Another slightly pouty expression crossed the younger male's face as he heard yet another vocal reply he was none to pleased with. A smirk was visible on the blonde's face at this pouty reply.

"... How did you get here anyway?" Cloud asked with a brow raised. The parking area near the apartment was full with the same old trucks, SUVs, cars, and one or two meager motorcycles in addition to those belonging to Cloud and his roommate. He saw not a single unfamiliar car or bike or other miscellaneous vehicle causing him to ponder over how the other male had gotten here—he'd inquire as to how he knew where he lived here later.

"Well, Nii-san," the silver haired male stated, placing a single finger on his lips as he pondered in a manner that reminded Cloud quite a bit of his roommate, "taxis in this city are quite nice compared to other cities I've spent any measurable time in..."

It wasn't a direct reply, but Cloud was no idiot and recognized the camouflaged reply. For a moment he was rather surprised, remembering that taxis could get quite pricey these days with gas prices nearing three dollars per gallon. Then—not without feeling a bit awkward—he recalled the other male's means of employment, remembering how willing people could be to give away their money to such entertainment.

"Well, how the hell did you even know where I live?" At first Cloud has just assumed that he had been stalking him, but if he had, wouldn't one assume they would have at least bumped shoulders at some point before their encounter the night before. This left the blond wondering, and quite rightfully so, how Kadaj knew exactly where he lived, so accurately he could even pinpoint his bike in the parking area nearest to his own apartment that there was no way simple chance could do that.

A soft chuckle accompanied the reply as he continued to look at the silver haired male with curiosity. "But Cloud, you should already know! Didn't your dear roommate tell you anything?"

_'This can't be good,'_ the blonde recognized immediately, _'Zax must have talked... but... I wonder how much he said...?' _This brought up numerous, most of which were rather negative, memories about prior times Zax had let his loose intoxicated lips cause some sort of less than marvelous after effects.

"He told me where you two live," stated the silver-haired youth after a moment of silence ebbed by. "Rather easy to get that one to talk after a drink or two-but, ah, I do forget his name... What was it now... Zach?"

"Zax," the blonde corrected in an almost snobbish manner. _'If you're going to get my friend drunk and talk to him, at least get his fucking name right.'_ Cloud scowled in him mind. He didn't know why, but he saw mispronouncing Zax's name as an insult—and he refused to sit back and simply allow this egotistical glorified whore to insult his roommate and best friend.

Once again, he was snapped to from his thoughts by that damnable soft chuckle. "My, my. Aren't we defensive?" cooed Kadaj in an almost mocking manner. "Is there a little more then firnedship going on behind the scenes? Zax did speak so fondly of you that I'd swear it was almost a loving way..'

Sky gems snapped open for a moment as he heard the statement. Dark pupils trembled as he processed the information. Zax... love him? Could... that really be? Or was this phantom of his past merely there to upturn his memory and confuse him? But.. his mind kept drifting back to the idea of Zax and him... They had been friends for so long... but did Zax...?

"I... don't have time for this," the older male stated, quickly brushing past Kadaj to get more swiftly to his bike. He froze once again, however, when he heard the familiar squeak of the wooden doors that separated the place he called home from the outside world, this could only lead to one thing; Zax stepping out and seeing his roommate... and Kadaj.

"Cloud?" the voice of his long-time friend fell on his ears and made him worry slightly. Did the youth tell a lie, or did Zax... really... "I thought you were going to...?!" It was at this point in his sentence he happened to direct his gaze towards where the entertainment of the night prior stood, silent for now and observing the actions of the roommates. "What... is he...?"

"...I'm out of here."

Offering no further explanation, he hurriedly shifted onto his motorcycle, placing the key in the ignition and proceeding to back out of this parking space. No good-bye, have-a-nice-days, no farewells of and sort. He needed time to be alone, time to think. Hunger had been totally forgotten, as had much else on his mind. He just had to think.

---

The low purr of the bike ceased as he reached a fairly secluded location. The city was miles away, now, and he has lost track of how long he had been driving. And, had the day not started out on a bad enough foot, en route he had narrowly avoided three accidents and gotten yelled at by innumerable drivers, all of whom were most likely having a day far superior to his own thus far. But finally he had retreated to a secluded area, with the hustle-bustle of a busy city left far behind.

Quiet lake waters lapped gently against the soft white sands, dotted with an occasional roc, shell, or scuttling crustacean of one form or another. Leaving his bike in the nearby parking area, the blonde approached where the sparkling lake water contacted the shore. His shoes had been removed, both dark objects of footwear held in his hand allowing the moist sand to seep betwixt his pale toes. Midnight black pants with numerous pockets had been pulled up to his knees, the loose ties that encircled his ankle now tied snugly above his knees. There was faint shade coming from leafy trees placed near the lake shore, sheltering Cloud's fair skin from the harsh sun.

This was where he ran when he needed his sanctuary, his refuge just to think. Despite the fact that this area was considered a public place, few people bothered to venture here, as it was quite far from major civilization. It was more of a rest stop or a place for couples on their anniversary, few others bothering to take this time to simply come here and enjoy nature's glory. That's why it was the perfect place for Cloud to think.

Placing the worn tennis shoes carelessly on the pale beige sands coating the ground beside him, the blonde male proceeded to seat himself in the sands. Both feet were placed in the cool, wet sands where lake met shore, where tiny waves rose up and rolled inward, caressing and sapping every bit of heat from the flesh there. This bothered him only a little, if at all, as his mind was almost utterly detached from his physical form. Sky gems, staring to the far off horizon, were glassy and reflective almost mirror-like in their thinking state. To the seated male, there was no time not space nor anything outside his mind.

'_He must have been lying...'_ was the dominant thought that coursed through his mind, a shark in a pool of minnows in the whirlpool ocean of his mind. _'After all, Zax has been nothing but honest to me the entire time we've been friends. But what if he does love me...? He could have been hiding it for years and I would have been totally oblivious. We're friends and roommates... nothing more. But what if Zax wants to be more...?' _glazed eyes widened as a thought which has not occurred to him swam into view, a whale diving in under the shark mentioned prior, bumping the predator away for now. A thought he should have confronted long ago, but one he had exiled to the dark recesses of his abyss of thought.

'_What if I have feelings for Zax?!'_

He was just now confronting his feelings for Kadaj—thoughts relating to said male swimming in the school of minnows while were a strange breed of medium-sized sunfish—and here he was, trying to sort out his feelings for a friend of how many years—he honestly has lost count, finding time to by of little matter—in this muddled mental state.

'_And if I do... are my feelings for Kadaj enough to outweigh it...?'_

Yet another, larger thought came into his mind and he found himself yet again shocked at his own thoughts. What feelings for Kadaj? It was likely he felt something for the younger male as he realized from his own response to their reunion, but could they really be what he thought—love?

His daze was penetrated as he quite suddenly heard approaching footsteps behind him, only alerted as beneath whoever's feet as twig was fractured in two pieces. Glazed eyed turned to see who it was and for the countless time today he felt shock splash over him like the tiny waves that crashed at his feet.

Before him, perhaps a yard or two from where he was seated at the shore, stood the familiar frame he had seen only a short time before, a look of concern on his face.

A/N: Whew, that was uuuuuuuuuuber long. X-X that's why it took me... 3 days to type up? I'm soooo lazy. Oh well. Lawl, yet another cliffhanger. Anyway, R&R, and Enjoy


	4. Chapter 4

Title: He Will Be Loved 

**Genre: Romance**

**Rating: R**

**Chapter 4 (aka Where the hell is Kadaj?)**

A/N: Well, this is more of a sub chapter than an actual progressive installment. Just a bit of a side view as to what our dear little stripping remnant. I'd also like to thank all my reviewers, and don't worry, Cloud and Kadaj will eventually get together again. Anyways, enjoy. (PS: there's some shonen-ai and maybe yaoi in here, for once I didn't prewrite, so that better make all you out there happy.)

A familiar tone came from the closed flip phone resting beside his head on an ornate white oak bedside table. Next to it sat a digital clock (no longer useful as it was currently about 7 hours behind and he had never bothered to reset it), a half-full cup of water, and a small silver box closed with a small lock placed upon the latch.

And the sound of this tone as well as the irritating sound of vibration against a metal box full of loose whatnots was what roused the sleeping beauty.

Pepper black eyelashes slowly opened to greet the new day—or, rather, afternoon. Dark, thick curtains blockaded out all but the tiniest bit of glowing sunlight from the outside, preventing such things from waking him (though it was highly unlikely that such minor things as bright light leaking in from the outdoors would be enough to rouse the young male from his sleep). The first thing the young male did was to grab the source of the annoying sound—the phone, not the box—and give it a rather rough toss, sending it sailing across the room towards the closed doorway. It hit with a rather rough "tmp", though it continued making its annoying sounds. After realizing that the annoying-yet-catchy Spanish sound of Shakira's 'Hips Don't Lie' wasn't going to shut up without less rough manner of silencing, he sighed, rising from the bed, crimson bed sheets falling from a bare, alabaster chest, cold air from the outside of his warm blankets immediately causing his nipples to grow stiff as his body realized the sudden temperature change.

"... Noon comes earlier and earlier each day..." he grumbled, kicking the blankets off his satin pajama covered legs. His pale feet fell to the black carpet of the floor as he stood, approaching the battered cellular phone to silence it. And the moment he reached down, it suddenly fell silent.

... He forgot that after one cycle of the song, the alarm automatically shut itself off.

Groaning, he picked the annoying device up anyway, tossing it half-heartedly so it fell among the dark sheets (dotted with the occasional stain from one thing of the other) with little to no sound at all. With quite a bit of effort, he managed to haul himself the additional six or seven inches to the closed door that had been abused with the aid of the cell phone. A delicate hand fell onto the metal know that was secured strongly within the wood of the door that blocked him off from the rest of the house. With a click, it opened, and he was bombarded with light that filtered in from the hallway window placed right outside his door. No matter how many years he lived in this house, he was never able to adequately prepare himself for the sudden plunge from darkness to daylight he experienced when stepping from his room when he awoke.

"Don't you look simply ravishing?"

The melodic mocking voice of one of his siblings helped to jolt him back to the area of the living from the mythical dreamland of Nod. He blinked his mako eyes slightly as he looked to the fellow silver-haired figure that stood before him, light filtering around him and giving him an almost angelic feel to his appearance. But the younger male knew better.

"Fuck you, Yazoo," he muttered, slender fingers twining through his mussed hair in an attempt to conquer the almost gravity defying air it seemed to have in the morning. Thick eyeliner and gaudy mascara was also clumped around his eyes, making him look ever more dead than he already did without the afore mentioned aid. He had once again neglected to scrub the layers of black upon black off before going to bed. Hell, he was lucky if he made it into the shower at night. He'd taken to bathing in the mornings—afternoons, to be more correct, his mornings—since now a days he worked vary late and, more than once, overnight, arriving home in the first morning hours or not at all, going straight back to his place of official employment. (All overnight jobs were strictly on his own time, though he did get paid to do them.)

This resulted in his beloved brother's incestuous sex drive being severely neglected.

The response he got was not one he expected. He felt strong arms wrap around his thin waist, pressing him quite forcefully against the wall. This resulted in the tiniest whimper from the younger male at the rough treatment, and he hurriedly turned his head away from his lecherous older sibling. A scowl crossed his face as he glared at the only thing he could see—the tiniest bit of Yazoo's hair and the wall.

"I need to go shower—"

"Then I'll come with you," purred the obvious aggressor in the relationship, hooking a thumb into the elastic top of the silken pants that hung rather loosely around the slender hips of the younger male. The entirety of his exquisite body was pressed up against the younger male, holding him still against the wall. This made the younger male nervous; he didn't like when he was at such a disadvantage...

But these same disadvantages seemed to betray his own will and cause him to become quite aroused. And he heard a chilling chuckle as the older male realized this.

"No. I have work later, damnit. If you wanted to fuck around like your are now, you had all of last night to do it. So get the fuck off me."

"Testy, aren't you?"

"Now now..."

The second newcomer surprised them both. Ascending the stairs nearby, just down the hall, was a taller, and much longer haired male. He, in turn, was bathed in the angelic light, though the role of an angel seemed much more fitted to him physically that it had for the other male, Yazoo. This was the head of the household, one may say. The leader of all who dared to live in the house with him. His utter dominance was most likelky kept the younger males who lived here from running away.

"Yazoo, Kadaj. Break it up."

"Nii-san, it wasn't my faul—"

"Did I ask whose fault it was? No. I said to break it up. Now do so before I decide to get physical with _both_ of you, regardless of whose fault it was."

In silence, Yazoo drew away from the younger male, not back talking, nor playing the fully obedient role. He shot a small glare at the older male who ruled the house out of sheer age and favoritism of their mother, if one could truly call them all brothers. It was ignored as the oldest male's gaze was focused entirely upon the still somewhat sleep-dazed young male, who was now collapsed in the floor in a squatting position, resting form his sudden encounter.

"Kadaj."

"I... really need a shower."

"If you'd rather make up lost time with your _darling_ brother, perhaps I can be convinced to let you off tonight..."

It was rather awful, living with your employer. Especially when he's your brother. And also wants to have sex with you. Not that he hadn't done so before... but... well... Kadaj was rather intoxicated that time and the older male took advantage of him. That didn't count. Really. There was no way in hell that counted as actual sex. Maybe that was why the oldest male was so intent to have sex with him sober. At least he didn't dangle his livelihood over his head like he used to, threatening to fire him if he didn't do this, or do that. He still had a large amount of respect for this man, though. Both respect of family, employer, and just one that was overall superior. That's why he had a tendency to act so meekly around the male.

"... No."

This was a word that the older male rarely heard, and so for a moment, he had no response to the reply. The younger male slowly stood, shaking his head and continuing down the hall, towards the large bathroom at the end. Halfway there, though, he turned to speak to the still somewhat stunned male who stood nearby, smirking in an almost defiant way.

"If you want me..." he said, half turning to look at the taller male down the hall, "then you have to pay for me like anyone else, and no, my typical salary doesn't count. Perhaps I'll see you tonight, then, Sephiroth?"

With that, and a rather quickened pace, he hurried the rest of the way down the hall to the temporary safety of the largest bathroom of the four placed throughout the house. He, as the favorite of Sephiroth, (favoritism seemed to run rather rampant throughout the family; it was as a trait they received form "mother,") was the only one, besides the leader of the house himself, allowed to bathe in the nice bathroom. This was an advantage he tended to use daily, taking showers however long he pleased, as there was no other household member waiting to use the same shower.

With relief, he closed the door behind him, clicking the internal lock to make sure no one could barge in on him. Sighing slightly, he crossed the large tiled floor of the bathroom. He then stood at the base of the rather large tub, complete with a removable shower massage (all of which was a sharp chrome-silver) for a moment, pondering whether he should shower or take a nice warm bath.

He opted for option B.

Seating himself of the rim of the chrome tub, he reached over the tub, turning it on one of the warmest settings to allow the tub to fill. Then he stood, stretching his slender arms above his head, relieved to notice his hair was no longer sticking up to a point where it made him look like his blonde brother, only with a much paler hair color. A slight smirking smile crossed his full lips (with their crimson red gloss smudged slightly, both by sleeping in it and from his dominant siblings rough kisses) as he thought of the other male.

"Oh, dear Cloud..." he thought aloud as he idly stroked his slender fingers though his hair as he pondered over the situation. "I wonder when we'll see each other again?"

Managing to snap himself from his rather spacy state of thought, he glanced over towards the gradually filling tub behind him. And it was just in time that he managed to do it, too, as it was at the perfect level to accommodate his body and not send the hot waters over the rim into the floor. Thankfully, he was close enough to the tap to turn it off before it had much more time to fill up.

"I miss you..." he murmured softly as he placed a towel on the sink to avoid having to dig through them while he was soaked from the tub.

Then, he approached the now prepared tub, he stopped near it, pressing the elastic band from the curve of his hip, allowing the silken material to pool around his ankles, before stepping forward and leaving the only article of clothing he had abandoned on the floor. Then, with mild hesitation to check the water, the young male stepped into the tub, lowering himself into the warm waters with a slight hiss from hiss from between his teeth as at first, the water seemed overly hot.

"Damnit..."

The statement was little more than a murmur as he leaned his head back against the slanted back of the tub, attempting to relax and banish all troublesome matters from his mind.

"Does Nii-san know that I met Cloud again? No, there's no way he could—wait! Why do I care? Just because I work for him and live with him, he doesn't rule my life! But... what if his renewed vigor and sexual advances are jealousy...?" he chuckled slightly. Sure, males has fought over him how many times before, but this time, it was his own brothers... and the elder most two, at that! He found the idea... a bit more than a little arousing.

_Perhaps,_ he decided to keep his thoughts silent this time, merely thinking to himself as he readjusted slightly in the tub, the water almost teasingly washing over his (slowly hardening) penis and groin region, causing him to hiss slightly again, _my best option would be to sleep with __**both**__ of them and make my decision based on who is better sexually...? Hmmm..._

He hadn't noticed that lately more and more of his thoughts were beginning to be more and more bared towards sex. Usually by the time he was done working at a strip club, he had had quite enough of sex to bother actually doing the deed. But then Yazoo... And lately, he'd been whoring himself of the side—literally—to get a bit more money. Honestly, he was getting far too tired of living with his boss, and was slowly, very slowly, saving up some money for his own apartment.

_I already know that Sephiroth is rather... pleasing to look at naked, _he pondered, recalling having seen the older male in his full glory numerous times (though he was blocking his recollection of his sexual encounter with the older male) and, he admitted to himself, he was rather fond of what he had seen. _He's also... mm... well endowed..._ And Kadaj, of all people, knew when a man was worth his time. He had to have a nice cock to get anywhere with the young male, that's for sure. And he was picky.

_But he's such a damn control addict. But damn... that turns me on..._ This thought made him shift slightly, beginning to grow rather uncomfortable in the region between his legs.

_But what about Cloud? I do like those who play hard to get... and he's doing it. _A frown. _But I don't know if he's playing... or if he's in denial of his own love for Zax. _His eyes narrowed slightly, jealousy spilling into his thoughts. He preferred to have a total monopoly over a new "lover," not to have to worry about him running of with his roommate.

_That settles it,_ he thoughts, sinking lower in the water as his left hand brushed softly against the skin of his hip.

_I'll just have to have sex with both of them, decide who' s better, and make damn sure they never leave me._

His body trembled se he gently stroked his slender fingers against his hard cock. He deserved a nice masturbation session, after all this teasing and thought about sex.

At least his decision was made, one stress ha had to put behind him.

A/N: Tada! I dunno exactly WHEN this is in correlation to the story (possibly the morning before he met Cloud outside the house?) but it fits in there somewhere. Hope the Yazoo x Kadaj mini scene didn't kill any of my fans out there. I like that pairing, so cha. And I hope you enjoyed the little teasing I did at the end, Fufu. We now know of Kadaj's devious plan! See you all in the official chapter 4, er, as it shall be known, Cha. 5!


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